Imi Hoola Post-Baccalaureate Program

About

A major concern of the John A. Burns School of Medicine is to make medical careers possible for members of disadvantaged groups for whom such careers may seem unattainable.
Imi Hoola (Hawaiian for “those who seek to heal”) has played a major role in accomplishing the mission of the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Imi Hoola is a 12-month post-baccalaureate program in the Department of Native Hawaiian Health designed to provide educational opportunities to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are deemed capable of succeeding in medical school. Although Imi Hoola is not limited to persons of Hawaiian, Filipino, Samoan, Chamorro or Micronesian descent, a large number of these students have demonstrated that they are from a disadvantaged background.

Each school year, up to 12 students are selected to participate in this program. Upon successful completion they will matriculate into the MD program as first-year medical students. The curriculum emphasizes the integration of concepts and principles in the sciences and humanities and further develops students’ communication and critical-thinking skills. Eligible individuals are from a disadvantaged socio-economic and/or educational background who have demonstrated a commitment to serve in areas of need in Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands.

Imi Hoola has expanded its outreach efforts and developed partnerships with local high schools, colleges, and community-based health organizations. These partnerships help to create an educational pathway for disadvantaged students to enter and graduate from college and pursue health and allied health careers.

Note: JABSOM deeply respects the Native Hawaiian language, but to comply with law requiring our website to be accessible to people with disabilities, we are unable to use Hawaiian diacritical markings at this time, i.e. we are advised the marks are not able to be read by text readers for the vision impaired.